Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, CA

Beale Air Force Base(AFB) is a census-designated place (CDP) located on approximately 23,000 acres of California hills, about 40 miles outside of Sacramento. Beale is home to 4,500 servicemen and women and elite aircraft including the U-2 Dragon Lady, the T-38 Talon and the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

Quick Facts

History

Beale AFB was named after Edward Fitzgerald Beale, an American pioneer who graduated from the Naval Academy and went on to serve in the military. Originally dubbed Camp Beale and serving as an Army post, the site was established in the fall of 1942 with the purpose of training the 13th Armored Division and the 81st and 96th Infantry Divisions.

Camp Beale saw a lot of action during World War II with a large population that included POW's as well as an on site hospital with the capacity to hold 1,000 patients. Camp Beale became Beale Air Force Base in 1948 and set its sights on training its flight force in radar techniques.

A few years after opening, the Army handed over control of the post to the Air Force who reopened the Beale Bombing and Gunnery Range on site in 1951. In 1952, Beale became inactive as it underwent construction and saw the addition of a runway and hangars.

Between the winter of 1959 and 1965, Beale saw much of its acreage auctioned off or transferred to the state of California. Today, part of what used to be Beale AFB is now the Spenceville Wildlife and Recreation Area. Some of Beale's remaining land is also leased to ranchers for animal grazing purposes.

Beale in Pop Culture

Beale AFB has appeared in video games, movies and has hosted TV shows and TV personalities. A few of Beale's most notable appearances include:

Call of Duty: Black Ops - The player flies an SR-71 Blackbird out of Beale AFB for a mission.

MythBusters - The famous Discovery Channel show filmed on site at Beale with the help of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing.

The film Bridge of Spies filmed scenes at Beale in late 2014.

Units stationed at beale

Housing / Lodging

Beale AFB Homes offers privatized housing with options including the choice between two-, three- and four-bedroom homes in either single-family or townhouse styles. Note that privatized housing is not under Beale AFB's control and is a privately owned and managed entity. Contact the privatized housing office for housing availability at (844) 334-1007.

Beale AFB's official Housing Management Office can be reached at (530) 634-2792. For unaccompanied housing at Beale, you can call (530) 634-2266.

Schools

Beale AFB is home to Lone Tree School and Wheatland Charter Academy (both cover grades K-5 and are on post). You can contact the schools at (530) 788-0248.

Middle and high schools nearby (but off base) include: Bear River Middle School (530-633-3135) and Wheatland High School (530-633-3131).

Commissary

The Beale Commissary is located at 17601 25th Street and the store number is: (530) 634-2422.